I am anti-Castro.  I am Cuban, and I don’t think there is any place in our memories for an individual who turned a growing democracy into a brutalized and suppressed dictatorship.  History will never absolve a ruler who killed and tortured people who dared to speak their minds. 

Nevertheless, I cannot help but marvel at how someone like Castro stayed in power for almost 50 years.  That feat is unbelievable and is unlikely to happen again.  I dare say that he is a very smart man because, otherwise, I cannot fathom how he could have accomplished that. 

Castro’s determination and perseverance are unparalleled.  If anything, his drive is similar to that of a shrewd and determined entrepreneur.  He had a vision and pursued it at all costs.  If only he could have channeled that energy for good, not bad.

I took a Cuban history course in college, and I remember studying him in detail.  The psychology of this man is interesting, to say the least.  His past is also very compelling.  From his childhood, to his notorious years in high school (at Colegio de Belen), and on through the 1959 Revolution, Fidel Castro is a complex historical figure.  He is both repulsive and fascinating.  He swept the Cuban people off their feet in the late 1950s, and, once he rose to power, he promptly turned on them in one of the most famous acts of deceit in modern history.     

Excellent books have been written about Castro, and I have read some of them.  It is important to learn about and study dictators like him.  Understanding his character, personality, and actions helps us recognize these traits in other individuals and, hopefully, will assist us in identifying similar traits in future would-be rulers.  People shouldn’t make the same mistake twice, and history is available to prevent us from doing so.

Here are 10 books about Castro that I highly recommend:

1) The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro

2) The Real Fidel Castro

3) Fidel Castro

4) Cuba: From Columbus to Castro and Beyond, Fifth Edition Rev.

5) Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro

6) Fidel:: A Critical Portrait

7) Fidel Castro: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies)

8) Fidel: A Biography of Fidel Castro

9) Journey to the Heart of Cuba - Life as Fidel Castro (Viaje al Corazon de Cuba)

10) Castro’s Curveball

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed.        

If you like this post, please bookmark it: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Propeller
  • Digg
  • Technorati
  • Reddit